LOC17:55
14:55 GMT
BRUSSELS, May 16 (KUNA) -- Fourteen suspected pirates detained on board an
European naval ship operating off the coast off Somalia were handed over to
the Kenyan authorities in Mombasa Saturday.
The EU and Kenya on 6 March signed an agreement enabling suspected pirates
to be prosecuted in Kenya.
The Spanish warship SPS MARQUES DE LA ENSENADA transferred the pirates to
the Kenyan authorities, said an EU statement.
Up to 52 suspected pirates have been captured till now by the EU naval
forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin.
Rear Admiral Philip Jones, Commander of Operation off Somalia called EU
NAVFOR- Operation Atalanta - thanked the Kenyan authorities for "their
excellent cooperation in taking over these suspected pirates for prosecution
and trial in the Kenyan courts."
This is the fifth transfer of pirates under the EU-Kenya agreement. Up to
13 European vessels, two French, four German, one Greek, one Italian, two
Spanish and three Swedish, and 3 Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft
(MPRA) are currently taking part in the EU NAVFOR - Operation Atalanta which
was launched by the EU last December to deter and prevent piracy. (end)
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